anyone do the full time “club circuit”?

[dstroud]

anyone ever play the “bar circuit”? I grew up in a small Indiana town, gigged a lot in a band with my 2 cousins. We played roller rinks, school dances, mall parking lots starting when I was about 12. At 18 I wanted to go to MI, but the parents weren’t having it so I moved to Indianapolis to go to ITT. I was working Dairy Queen for $3 an hour. I was trying to find a band by posting at a local music store. A guy calls me to audition for his band. So i went, got the gig. Then he tells me he can get bar gigs and pay my $100 a night. I was like “wait, you’re telling me I get to play onstage, for 4 hours AND you’re going to pay me $100!!!” I was blown away lololol After I got out of ITT same guy says to me “I know a guy with a bus and PA, we can go on the road, play 5-6 nights a week, $100 a night”. So I did that for 5 years. Playing throughout the midwest, 5-6 nights a week. Usually a week at a time at a bar. Lots of hotel rooms, I did lots of practicing, was an awesome time. Had a buddy doing the same thing but he did Holiday Inns, that guy made killer money, had a rig with 3 Mesa’s and 4x12’s, but played mostly dance music lol Anyone else do those circuits back in the day?

 

[guitup too]

Thanks for the story, cool read. I can't help but notice that in my area (Bham, AL.) $100 a night per musician is still the standard rate, same as it was 20+ years ago when I was doing the cover band thang. Of course there are exceptions to that.

 

[dstroud]

Thanks for the story, cool read. I can't help but notice that in my area (Bham, AL.) $100 a night per musician is still the standard rate, same as it was 20+ years ago when I was doing the cover band thang. Of course there are exceptions to that.

yup pretty sure that is still the standard rate in a cover band as well. tribute bands and country bands seem to be maybe a step above that. I did spend a couple years in a country band that did festivals and fairs. $300 to $500 a man a show and usually done by 10pm - I called that bankers hours lolol

 

[boogieman1187]

Played in the Delaware cover scene for a while in one of the more known cover bands, played 4-6 nights a week in my 20's all over the tri-state area and as far south as the keys. Used to make anywhere from 150-300 a night depending on the club and how far we had to travel. Lots of miles and shitty hotel rooms but it made for some great stories.

 

[dstroud]

Played in the Delaware cover scene for a while in one of the more known cover bands, played 4-6 nights a week in my 20's all over the tri-state area and as far south as the keys. Used to make anywhere from 150-300 a night depending on the club and how far we had to travel. Lots of miles and shitty hotel rooms but it made for some great stories.

now that’s what I’m talking about!! We would hit the Keys as well. Some club called Dirty Harry’s. They had a “questionable” band house we stayed at, which was the norm lol but man was it fun!!

 

[CrystalSky]

Damn, wish I could to that…

 

[boogieman1187]

now that’s what I’m talking about!! We would hit the Keys as well. Some club called Dirty Harry’s. They had a “questionable” band house we stayed at, which was the norm lol but man was it fun!!

Yeah the place we played in the keys was just called the tiki bar in holiday isle, they had a band house that looked like a world war 2 bomb shelter with an undisclosed amount of diseases running around, I saw it and found a hotel for the week which made the whole thing more tolerable. Fun times.

 

[dstroud]

Damn, wish I could to that…

It was a cool time, so glad I did. I don’t think the situation like that even exists now. As odd as it sounds, I think when vcr’s came out and home entertainment expanded, that whole scene died cause people stayed home instead of going to clubs 5-6 nights a week

 

[rsm]

Started when I was 14 years old playing my first paying gig, and my last paying gig at 32. Drinking age was 18 when I was 18. From,14-18 in CT; 18 - 30, I was on the club circuit in NY - CT - RI - MA; 30 - 32 in Atlanta.

 

[DanTravis62]

It depends what you mean, there are "club circuits" for cover bands and then there's the "black flag circuit" for original bands.

The club circuit pays decently, 50-250$ a gig

The original band circuit pays almost nothing

Have done both

 

[dstroud]

It depends what you mean, there are "club circuits" for cover bands and then there's the "black flag circuit" for original bands.

The club circuit pays decently, 50-250$ a gig

The original band circuit pays almost nothing

Have done both

Yeah I’m kinda talking about when you could play 5-6 nights a week, travel in a bus/hotel life and make a living on $500-$600 a week ( which wasn’t bad in Indiana back in the day) and work year round. I know now there’s plenty of weekend warriors - that won’t go away and that is awesome, but the 5-6 nights a week gigs seem to be gone.

 

[rottingcorpse]

Ski resorts bars for two seasons in the early 80s as a bass player. Three sets of covers. The other three guys had been doing it for 5 years when they hired me. They were total badass musicians, I was a rank amateur. But they were easy songs and there was tons of pussy and free weed and liquor every night. Best experience I would ever get as a young musician. They had their own p.a.system, the box truck was driven by the sound guy/roadie. I really enjoyed my time on and off stage. But by the end of the second cycle of the second season, I was super into the early thrash stuff that was coming out and I no longer wanted to play dance/pop rock. They were pissed when I left and moved back home. Never found out if they kept going or not...never looked back.

 

[DanTravis62]

Yeah I’m kinda talking about when you could play 5-6 nights a week, travel in a bus/hotel life and make a living on $500-$600 a week ( which wasn’t bad in Indiana back in the day) and work year round. I know now there’s plenty of weekend warriors - that won’t go away and that is awesome, but the 5-6 nights a week gigs seem to be gone.

yeah, you're talking about specifically the cover band circuits around the country, which still exist - it pays about the same

Theres just less bands willing to do it

You could never do that in an original band unless you had a major label nowadays, you have to be a cover monkey

 

[dstroud]

yeah, you're talking about specifically the cover band circuits around the country, which still exist - it pays about the same

Theres just less bands willing to do it

You could never do that in an original band unless you had a major label nowadays, you have to be a cover monkey

yeah and that money not going up and cost of living going up exponentially is a killer as well. Maybe I can go back when I retire lolol

 

[VonBonfire]

I played 3-10 shows per week in most of 2017 and all 2018, some of which were through a notorious area booking agent but it wasn't a tour it was just Austin-San Antonio-and surrounding areas. I had a falling out with the agent and regrouped in 2019 only to have the covid deal happen as I was getting my legs back under me.

 

[dstroud]

Started when I was 14 years old playing my first paying gig, and my last paying gig at 32. Drinking age was 18 when I was 18. From,14-18 in CT; 18 - 30, I was on the club circuit in NY - CT - RI - MA; 30 - 32 in Atlanta.

very cool man!!

 

[DanTravis62]

yeah and that money not going up and cost of living going up exponentially is a killer as well. Maybe I can go back when I retire lolol

man it's weird, the pay for those shows has stayed the same for like 20 years

I mean the pay was fine or doable in 2005, but with inflation its not even remotely workable now

So the only bands left doing the circuit are like retired folks who don't need the money to survive anyways

Its kind of wild, younger generations don't realize how big of a deal live music used to be

 

[dstroud]

I played 3-10 shows per week in most of 2017 and all 2018, some of which were through a notorious area booking agent but it wasn't a tour it was just Austin-San Antonio-and surrounding areas. I had a falling out with the agent and regrouped in 2019 only to have the covid deal happen as I was getting my legs back under me.

yeah the booking agents were always fun lol I had a couple good ones though. Yeah man that covid situation was tough on many levels

 

[dstroud]

man it's weird, the pay for those shows has stayed the same for like 20 years

I mean the pay was fine or doable in 2005, but with inflation its not even remotely workable now

So the only bands left doing the circuit are like retired folks who don't need the money to survive anyways

Its kind of wild, younger generations don't realize how big of a deal live music used to be

oh man no doubt on all the above!!!

 

[VonBonfire]

yeah the booking agents were always fun lol I had a couple good ones though. Yeah man that covid situation was tough on many levels

I only signed on to work with her cause it gave me a 3 show per week residency downtown at a venue that I liked. I had subbed enough there to where I knew all the staff so it was a good time. All the rest of the clubs on her roster were straight trash without a lot of tip potential so when that gig ended I walked.